The world returned in fragments — the drip of water, the scent of herbs, the weight of something warm over his body.
Kael opened his eyes to a pale blue glowing room where crystals hung from the ceiling. The dim light pulsed faintly in time with the cadence of his heartbeat.
He wasn't outside anymore.He lay on a straw bed, wrapped in coarse sheets. Beside him, shelves lined with glowing roots and vials filled with swirling mist painted the air with a sharp, minty smell.
A voice spoke quietly nearby."He's awake."
Kael turned his head. A woman — the same one who'd confronted him in the meadow — was sitting on a stool, her cloak hung to dry near the fire. Her expression was wary, her staff leaning against the wall.
"Where… am I?" His throat was dry, the words barely audible.
"In the healer's hut of Rynvale Village," she replied. "You collapsed after… whatever that was."Her tone tightened. "The entire valley lost its aether for hours."
Kael frowned. "Aether?"
She hesitated, as if speaking to someone fragile. "The essence that keeps life flowing. It runs through every living thing — the air, the earth, even our bodies. When it's gone… things die."
He looked down at his hands.They trembled faintly, faint blue veins glowing beneath the skin — like light trapped under glass.
Did I really do that?
He remembered the bird falling, the air twisting, the way everything dimmed.His chest tightened. "I didn't mean to—"
"I know," she said quickly. "You didn't seem in control."Then her gaze hardened. "But that doesn't make it less dangerous."
Kael fell silent.He didn't have answers — only questions, too heavy to ask.
I died once already. Why would I wake up here, only to destroy things again?
The woman rose and poured him a cup of pale green liquid. "Drink. It'll calm the mana surge inside you."
He hesitated, but the warmth of the cup felt grounding. He drank, the bitter taste coating his tongue.
"My name's Eira," she said softly. "I'm a mage of the lower circle. We found you two days ago, surrounded by wilted grass and drained soil. If not for your pulse, I'd have thought you were dead."
Kael managed a faint, humorless smile. "Wouldn't be the first time."
She studied him for a moment — the look of someone trying to solve a riddle."You speak strangely, boy. Where are you from?"
He froze.His memories — neon lights, computer screens, glass towers — none of it would make sense here.
"…Far away," he said finally.
Eira sighed, clearly unconvinced but unwilling to push. "Whatever your origin, you need to hide that power. There are mages in the capital who hunt anomalies like you. To them, a core that absorbs mana is a threat to the balance."
"So they'll kill me?"
"If they find out," she said simply.
A gust of cold wind swept through the hut. The crystals flickered. Somewhere outside, a bell rang — low and somber.
Eira looked toward the door. "The patrol is here. They'll want to question you."
Kael's stomach tightened. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"That doesn't matter," she said. "In this world, power isn't judged by what you do, but by what you are."
The door creaked open. Two armored figures entered — their armor gleaming faintly with runic light. The taller one scanned Kael, eyes narrowing.
"So this is the boy." His voice was cold, official. "The cursed child who drained aether from three acres of farmland."
Kael sat up instinctively, fear and confusion twisting in his chest. "I don't even know how I did it!"
The knight raised a hand, runes glowing along his gauntlet. "Then you'll learn — under the Guild's supervision."
Eira stepped between them. "He's just a child, Sir Varric! His core's unstable, not malicious!"
The knight's gaze flicked to her. "Then pray it stabilizes soon. The Guild doesn't tolerate mistakes."
He turned, signaling his companion. "Prepare the binding runes. We're taking him to Aetherfall Citadel."
Kael's heart pounded.His second life had barely begun — and already, he was being taken away.
From one cage to another.
As the glowing chains closed around his wrists, he caught Eira's eyes one last time.She whispered, almost too quietly to hear:
"Don't fight it yet. Survive first."
The chains pulsed with blue light.The world blurred.And Kael's second chance slipped further out of his control.